Kayak fisherman killed by shark.

[Johninaustin]

Uh oh, I wonder if it was one he hooked or did it come after some other fish beside the yak?

http://www.kvue.com/news/national/234147151.html

[Timotheus]

Sad day for yakkers. RIP brother

[Copperfish]

RIP, experienced or not. Losing your life to doing what you love. I'm sure there was some mistake he made handling a hooked shark. Or could it possibly have been a attack on his kayak that he managed to return to land to seek treatment then died.

[Poolio]

Yikes!!! At least he went out doing something he loved. RIP.

[Crazy Yak]

Tragic, that could have happened to any of us.

[forager]

RIP, just too tragic.

[hookdem]

Sad to hear, there have been a few shark incidents recently, but being a kayak fisherman makes it hit really close to home.

I got this from the aquahunters forum. More info.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/2411 ... newsnowcom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mythman]

More than likely, it was not a hooked shark............very few of us leave our feet in the water when we have a hooked shark on the other end.

No matter how it happened, it is a tragic ending for a fishing kayaker.

RIP!

[Duweezy]

So unfortunate...

[treysdaddy]

"when his dangling foot was bit by a shark"
Just gut wrenching. So sad for his family and the kayaker that was out with him.

[Living Waters]

WOW, when I use to fish offshore in a single SOT, I use to put my feet in the water to balance my self while catching big fish, after I had a few shark incidents with my single SOT, I told myself, I was going to never fish out of a kayak. Once I found the Island models my foot never dangled in the water again, and I don't have that un-easy feeling fishing near sharks in the island models.

If you look at video of guys fishing in Hawaii, they are in single SOT's catching big fish like tuna ...etc... when they land these fish.... guess what they use to kill them?? A SPEAR GAFF, and then they use a regular gaff to bring the fish aboard. (***that's a lot of blood dripping from the yak manG!***) ...... also guess what where are they going to put that big fish?? on top of the yak.... so while all this is going on .... they most likely have to use both feet to balance them self so those feet are where?? (***dangling in the water***) due to sitting in a SOT while landing big fish offshore with blood dripping.... so if a shark is around the area you know the shark will be very near...

just my 2 cents on why I don't fish offshore anymore in a single SOT.

I may get some negative feed back.... but I just wanted to voice my opinion.






LOOK at ALL THE BLOOD in the water in this video......
.......and where is his feet???

[Mythman]

Apparently there was little or no blood that played a role in this attack. According to this report, the guy was fishing for bait fish with artificial lures. Appears like the shark just came up and bit his foot...............and must have really bit it as it caused him to bleed out.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/shark ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tragic.................tragic!!!

[AyJay]

Tiger sharks are known to do things like that, take random test bites of things they encounter. You're talking a 10-13 foot shark...They need not have caught a fish this time for their gear and boat to still have the faint fish smell of trips past. I think it was a very chance thing, not much different than someone accidentally cut a major artery with a mishandled knife, and then bleeding out before they can get in. Something to think about. This is random bad luck, but I think very unlikely to happen in our BTB, because our sharks are smaller and less likely to make this kind of attack. I dangle my feet a lot, but they come in when I am hooked up.

Very sad.

[Living Waters]

Apparently there was little or no blood that played a role in this attack. According to this report, the guy was fishing for bait fish with artificial lures. Appears like the shark just came up and bit his foot...............and must have really bit it as it caused him to bleed out.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/shark ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tragic.................tragic!!!

YEs Sir! you know how much I hate having sharks around Mike. Just think at all the times when I use to do it, and in those videos there is water splashing, blood in water, and feet in water... that could make for a bad recipe for a shark incident.

With the stability that I get on my water craft, I would not need to dangle my feet in the water any more for balance manG!

[Johninaustin]

More video with pics of the man's kayak and the area fished.


http://www.mycenturylink.com/tv/3/playe ... urce/Clips

[Zeitgeist]

Just saw on Channel 2 News in Houston, he was on a Hobie Mirage Sport.

[rod dawg]

I leave my feet dangling over the sides and sometimes take naps that way. Maybe it's time to rethink this. Tragic to hear what happened to this angler.

[whatwake]

I use to keep my feet dangling over the sides until a bonnet head came swimming up from underneath my yak. Caused a huge pucker factor!

[Chumslinger]

I have always viewed dangling your feet BTB as tempting fate. No disrespect intended, of course.

[Crazy Yak]

More info; Patrick Briney (57); Stevenson, WA
http://www.kgw.com/news/Columbia-Gorge- ... 35601.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[evintx]

Just saw on Channel 2 News in Houston, he was on a Hobie Mirage Sport.

I saw that yesterday as well. Such a sad story.

RIP and many prayers and thoughts to the family.

[Prof. Salt]

Such a sad story. As a guy who likes his feet in the water, this makes me a little uneasy.

[treysdaddy]

I have to tell you that this story has really stayed in my head. The most danger I have personally felt in was from 3' sharks that I was trying to get the hook back from. One of them shook out of my grip and its business end ended up close to my inner thigh. I'm glad that wasn't on video. The other time I was having a hard time getting the hook back from a 3 footer when it just went berzerk in my hand. I ended up chunking it back in the water and cutting the line.

I don't take chances and think that I am among the most safety conscious guys on the water. The part that stays in my head is that I fish with my son 95% of the time. He is a big guy and handles himself on the water as good or better than I do. He also has several years of experience doing this. I'm thinking about the "what if's".

I didn't just start thinking about this... it all started, I think, when Johnny A had the huge bull shark take all but the head off of a bull red right at his kayak a couple or three years ago. His feet were in the water and he pulled them back in quickly. There have been several other cases of a bull red beheading that was too close for comfort. I've never had it happen to me. The thing that has been rattling around in my head has been the pulling in of a bull red into the kayak. At that split second, if a shark were to come after the red, it could end badly. I'd like to think that I am aware enough and quick enough to let go of the red if a shark attacked it. I am just increasingly worried about my son or other guys I would bring fishing or, for that matter, fish around.

My favorite part of BTB fishing is shark fishing. They are bigger and more exciting than bull reds. I like catching reds, but I love catching sharks. I'm not saying that I am quitting or anything like that. I think I am just typing "out loud" to my friends and I almost erased this whole thing, but what the heck, I'm posting it.

[Mythman]

Bill,
I hear ya..............I guess the next addition to my crate will be a good tourniquet (and you would think as many anchor ropes and 400 lb leader material we have, would be enough). The problem in the upper Gulf Coast waters is that you just can't see what is under or around you.

When I paddle my X-Factor (very seldom now), I always sit with both feet in the water. It's just more comfortable that way for me. I could be grabbed by anything at any time. After this incident, it's sort of scary. It's not the hooked sharks that scare me but the ones I don't know are there. Thank God, my Pro Angler keep my feet inside the cockpit.

Like many others, this incident will cause me to rethink dangling my feet in the water.........I likes me feet...........and more than that my life!!!

[hookdem]

I think I am just typing "out loud" to my friends

- Thats what forums are all about, find a topic/digest it/if relevant, then type away. If anything, when in doubt, post it. IF nobody cares theyll skip over it, but if they do, then you just contributed to discussion.

So this has been in my head also the last few days. Not because I have particular phobias but because I have alot of friends that know I kayak fish, and i frequently field questions on the safety of it all, whether sharks, rays, gators, or flesh eating micros. So, I was sad to hear the story of an older gent vacationing in Maui and dying doing what he loved, then at work I had to hear it again, then again at home. I was trying to not seem insensitive, as they all bring it up because they care. But the way i see it, sharks have always been there. We've caught them out of our plastic boats for 15+ years now, so we all know theyre there. Ive seen monster Tigers landed off the beach and huge shadows of Bulls cruising PINS, I know. This is the first, kayak fishing shark attack fatality, its gonna ring in the back of many of our heads for a while. Dont let it get too "in your head." I dont know the stats, but I would be more worried about... vibrio in the summer, or a snake or alligator while wading, or losing a paddle/breaking a mirage drive/or compromising the hull while offshore. Each of these scenarios could also end in death. To me, the biggest real threat to the Texas BtBer is weather.

Youll never be able to prepare for a tragic moment like what happened in Hawaii. Just like, when that moment comes and a Tiger comes after your redfish, itll be luck/fate/god that determines whether you get hit or not. You can change the way you fish to reduce chances of attracting sharks, like bringing in fish quickly (green), not bleeding fish, not chumming, not using bait, but the risk is still there. I dont bring in green fish, I bleed fish that I keep for dinner, and I like chumming when using bait, so my processes wont change. Ultimately, just like a shark, we are out there to fish, so if youre on the fish, then chances are there are sharks close by. I will probably handle Kings faster now because subconsciously ill be worried the fish im bringing in looks like a huge flashy n frisky live bait for a shark...but usually that wont be the case.


Stay safe and prepare for the things you can prepare for.